NBN consulting ISPs about changes to wholesale pricing
YouTube getting heat from the FTC over lack of protection for underage users
West Australian pathology lab IT system to be delivered 2 years late at twice the budget
UK porn age verification system delayed indefinitely
The Kindle Oasis gets an adjustable colour temperature backlight
Watch this presentation about what it’s like to be a woman in IT
Make yourself a quick “turn off Pi-Hole for 10 min” button
Cheap Nokia 7 Plus, iTunes gift cards, Pixel 3 on a plan, IP68 rated 2TB HDD, LIFX A19 bulb, Bose QC35
NBN is looking to re-jig their wholesale pricing, which for us end users may result in cheaper internet. They've sent out a consultation paper to over 50 RSPs (aka ISPs) to get "industry feedback on five key areas: lifting take-up in under-serviced consumer segments; promoting higher speeds; improving support for RSPs in the face of increasing demand for broadband; creating a regular cadence for future pricing consultations; and making it simple and easy for RSPs to do business with NBN Co". I've got an easy solution for ya NBN - get rid of CVC charges. Multiple ISPs have been saying this for years but the NBN can't let it go.
The Washington Post is reporting that the US Federal Trade Commission is investigating YouTube's failure to protect kids from seeing fucked up shit. The main problem is YouTube's autoplay and recommendation feature, plus the pedos in the comments getting their rocks off on little kids dancing around in skimpy clothes. All this attention from the FTC has lead YouTube to toss up just ban any content starring kids from YouTube and only allowing it on the YouTube Kids platform - how you police that without each new upload only going live after a human reviews it is beyond me, but they're thinking about it.
The pathology lab that services the WA public health system, PathWest, received $24m a few years ago to update its decrepit 1994 IT system. Today the WA Auditor-General - I'm pretty sure you know where I'm going with this - said it'll be delivered two years late, at twice the cost. "Auditor General Caroline Spencer found the NMHS did not provide effective oversight, there was weak project governance and reporting, an inexperienced management team, and insufficiently detailed planning that underestimated the risks and complexity of the project". Par for the course with government IT really, amazing that it keeps on happening.
A planned UK age verification system for porn has been "indefinitely delayed". The system was supposed to be launched by July 15th and would have resulted in UK internet users handing over official ID to look at naked people. Why was it delayed? Well there's the fact 76% of people had no idea it was even a thing, then all the privacy concerns around a database of who's opted in to look at porn. Oh and the fact it would be a piece of piss to circumvent via a VPN, rendering all the effort for implementing the system kinda redundant. Could also be that the UK has more pressing things going on (*cough* Brexit *cough*) than a puritanical porn filter.
Amazon has updated its flagship Kindle, the Oasis, with the ability to change the colour tone of the front light. This means you can make the light orange at night and white during the day, apparently to help with sleep. It can change automatically (turns on at sunset, turns off at sunrise) or can be manually programmed. The e-ink display has also been updated to improve refresh rates for faster page turns. Other than that, it's the same fancy Kindle you know and love. The 8GB wi-fi version is $399, 32GB wi-fi is $449 and the 32GB LTE variant is $559. All start shipping on July 24th.
I've linked to Jess Dodson's blog post about what it's like to be a woman working in IT, but if you prefer to watch and listen to Jess herself explain it to you, you're in luck. She gave a presentation at CrikeyCon a few weeks ago and they've chucked it up on YouTube. It goes for 30 minutes and if you're a bloke working in IT, you really should take the time to watch it (or read the blog post), just to get an understanding of what it's like for the women in your team having to hang around with a bunch of dudes all day. I bet she brings up stuff you had absolutely no idea was an issue or going on in this industry.
Running Pi-Hole, got an old smartphone or tablet and want a quick way to turn it on or off when you run into a website that's so riddled with tracking features it refuses to load? Matt Webb has published tutorial on how to make a website running on your Pi-Hole server that has 3 buttons - disable Pi-Hole for 10 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour. Mount the spare device somewhere in your home and those who aren't keen to change their DNS server settings quickly can just press one of those buttons and the server is disabled. You could even turn it into a physical "disable ad-blocking" button if you're keen.
Nokia 7 Plus (64GB storage, 4GB RAM) - $398, not an Android One device, but still decent.
15% off iTunes gift cards at Coles.
Google Pixel 3 64GB for $199 up front on a 12 month $65 plan at JB Hi-Fi.
IP68 rated external 2TB HDD (for all the times you need a waterproof HDD) - $79.89 delivered from Wireless1.
LIFX A19 LED smart bulb - $53.90 for bayonet fitting, $49.90 for screw fitting at Amazon.
Bose QC35 II noise cancelling headphones - $335 at JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman because a new version is coming soon.
🎶 Hobsons Bay Coast Guard - Surf 1
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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.